Saudi Arabia’s newly launched airline, Riyadh Air, will sponsor one of Spain’s leading football clubs, Atlético de Madrid, the company said today in a press release as it unveiled a new design for the kits players will wear on-field.
The deal is a multi-year partnership naming the airline as the main and official airline partner of the Red and White football club. Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air, and Miguel Ángel Gil, CEO of Atlético de Madrid, signed the deal and were photographed together revealing the new kit for players.
The partnership is aimed at creating awareness for Riyadh Air ahead of its planned launch in 2025, with an aim to connect the Saudi capital to more than 100 destinations around the world by 2030.
“It is an incredibly exciting day for Riyadh Air as we enter into a long-term partnership with Atlético de Madrid, one of Europe’s greatest clubs, to become their main and official airline partner,” Tony Douglas, CEO of Riyadh Air, said.
“We believe that this partnership is a perfect match, as both Riyadh Air and Atletico share a commitment to excellence and a passion for connecting people and cultures around the world. This airline created global waves when we recently launched our stunning livery and with this partnership, once again we are surprising the world as we move towards our maiden flight in 2025. We look forward to working closely with our friends at Atlético de Madrid to deliver innovative and exciting experiences for football fans and travelers.”
Earlier this year, Riyadh Air revealed its new livery just months after completing a massive purchase order from U.S.-based Boeing. As Reuters reported at the time, Boeing’s clean sweep of the lucrative Saudi widebody order – involving planes for both Riyadh Air and Jeddah-based Saudia – was a blow for Airbus which as recently as late last year had widely been seen as likely to win at least part of the deal.
